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Lasagna. Once upon a time it meant striations of wide wiggle-edge ribbons of pasta layered with creamy ricotta cheese, tomato-y meat sauce, parmesan cheese and melted mozzarella. No wonder it is #8 on the Google most-wanted recipe search. But today, that familiar rendition of lasagna has been mostly relegated to pizza places and family-run trattorias. Even diners. Today lasagna is pure fashion, with new seasons sporting adventurous combinations and colors — nothing anyone in Italy would recognize as a classic.

Years, ago I created a modern twist on lasagna for Bon Appetit magazine. It was made with butternut squash, portabello mushrooms, fresh sage and thyme, and smoked mozzarella. Little did I know that, in one neighborhood in particular, it became a prelude to childbirth. According to my good friend Debbie Freundlich, whose daughter-in-law began the trend, before any expectant Brooklyn Heights mother went to the hospital, an ample supply of my butternut lasagna was prepared days before and popped in the freezer! Apparently, many expecting fathers, friends and relatives have been treated to big squares of this stuff for half-a-dozen years or more. When I asked Debbie to tell me about this special recipe, she told me the ingredients. I chortled, “Hey, that’s my recipe.” Little did I know that it had been given a new name. In some zip codes, it’s known as “pregnancy lasagna.” What can I say? It’s made with “no-boil” lasagna noodles (a requirement made by the Bon App editors), is vegetarian, and satisfying to make. And it seems to freeze well.

Butternut Squash and Portabello Lasagna
I used a very good organic vegetable broth called Imagine from California. It has lots of body and lovely flavor. This can be assembled one day ahead and refrigerated.

I LOVE this recipe, so much that I made it for Rosh Hashana dinner this year, thus it met my requirements: easy enough to be made between services, vegetarian, and fancy enough for company at a holiday meal. Excellent!